You Changed Me
by CreativeMindset
Summary: Life never seems to turn out the way you think it will. Bella has a plan. Edward has a mysterious past. When the two cross paths, Bella's plan is ruined, and Edward's past is unraveled.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Hello readers. This is my first published story on , so please leave reviews and constructive criticism. **

**Also, I just want to say that I don't own Twilight. The only thing I own is my computer and this storyline. Enjoy! :)**

Chapter One

_Beeeep. _The cell phone made an annoying, almost grating sound in the otherwise silent car.

Edward Cullen lifted his head from his seat to check his new messages. He rolled his eyes as he scrolled down the tiny screen. It was the same message, sent from the same person, over and over again. _I miss you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me._

As the small Toyota Corolla pulled into their new driveway, Carlisle Cullen turned to face his seventeen year old son.

"It's not _her _again, is it?" Carlisle gave Edward a meaningful look.

Sitting in the passenger's seat, Esme Cullen had turned towards Edward as well. She was giving Edward the look that said it all. The one that spoke of cookies with milk and warm motherly embraces. It was obvious to Edward that she was worried about him.

Edward groaned inwardly.

"Dad, I'm not an idiot. I haven't talked to her since we moved here to Forks."

Carlisle sighed. "You can't blame your mother and me for being concerned. After all the trouble that you caused -"

"Yeah, I know," Edward interrupted. "That's why we moved from LA in the first place. Because I'm a horrible son and I ruined our reputation….."

Edward's sister, Alice, was sitting next to him in the backseat with an expression of rapt interest on her small, pale face. Arguments were not uncommon in the Cullen household, but Alice enjoyed the drama every time nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Edward had finished his end of the heated exchange and was now heading inside the house to cool off.

Edward and his father were constantly fighting about Edward's past mistakes. Especially the mistake he made with _her_.

Edward stormed into his bedroom, kicking the door shut and crashing onto his bed. It was a new bed, meaning it didn't have that same broke-down, comfortable feel to it that his old bed back in LA felt. He rested his head in his hands.

_Fuck…_

He had never been good enough for his father. Carlisle Cullen was a medical doctor with a PhD in Biology. He had never slacked off in school or cheated on a girlfriend, and he expected his children to behave the same. Carlisle was at work ninety percent of the time and the other ten percent he spent lecturing his kids.

"Don't have sex before marriage," he would warn Alice. "If you get pregnant, you'll have messed up your life before it's even started."

Alice would smile and nod, but Edward knew she wasn't lacking in that field. Alice, being the open girl that she was, had hinted to Edward during the summer that they turned fourteen, that she'd had sex. But Carlisle didn't know that. In his eyes, Alice was still the same angelic, innocent little girl who used to sit on his lap and sing Frank Sinatra with him at dinner.

When he was done lecturing Alice, Carlisle would turn to Edward. "Now, son, no drugs or alcohol until you turn twenty one. Becoming addicted to either of those will ruin you."

To this, Edward would laugh. "Thanks for the advice, Dad. You know, I never knew any of that. I thought drugs and alcohol were the healthiest things one could ever consume."

Until last year, Carlisle had never know that his children had done all of the things he'd strictly prohibited – sex, drugs, and alcohol.

* * *

><p>Bella Swan prided herself on being popular, earning straight A's in school, and keeping her mother happy, all at the same time. Even though she lived with her father in Forks, Washington, while her mother lived with her new baseball playing husband in Arizona, Renee Swan still expected her daughter to phone her once a week and send her emails every day.<p>

Bella was just out the door, heading to school, when she remembered to send an email to her mother. Renee freaked out when she didn't receive constant updates each day from her beloved daughter. Whenever Bella forgot to send her mother an email, Renee sent messages threatening to call the police or come and take her back to Arizona.

Once she had finished, Bella ran out the door in a hurry and got into her truck. She didn't want to be late on the first day of school.

_My gosh, I'm such a fucking goody-goody._

Bella laughed at herself as she drove. Well, at least she had a good reason for being such a nerd. She had a plan that was only going to work out if she was perfect. She had to get stellar grades and be friends with all the right people. It was the only way she would be able to get out of this small town. She was going to go to UCLA and study to become a lawyer.

As she pulled into the Forks high school parking lot, she caught sight of the familiar blond hair and blue eyes of her boyfriend, Jasper Hale.

He was one of the pieces of the puzzle that Bella had constructed in her mind. It was this puzzle that would help her succeed with her plan.

As she held Jasper's hand in hers and walked into school, the gazes of millions of fans, er excuse me, classmates, eying her enviously, Bella felt a sense of peace. So, she wasn't a

princess and Jasper wasn't her prince charming. Still, she would get somewhere with her life, unlike half of these idiots. Most of them would simply stay and hibernate in Forks for the rest of their sorry ass, miserable lives. But not Bella - she had a plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: I hope you guys like the story so far. Leave me reviews, and tell me if you like it or hate it. Also, if anyone would like to beta my work, please let me know!**

Chapter 2

Rosalie Hale was a fantastic runner. She loved the feel of a soft breeze lightly tapping her face as she jogged to school. She had joined track in ninth grade and was now captain of the team.

Rosalie was a girl who appeared to have it all: thick, wavy blonde hair, a hot older brother (who, incidentally, happened to be dating her best friend), wealth, and popularity. The boys all wanted to date her, and the girls all wanted to be her.

But what Rosalie wanted more than anything was love. She had grown up in a family where hugs and kisses were like a foreign language. Everyone seemed to favor her brother Jasper…... even her own grandmother liked her brother more for G-d's sake!

Jasper Hale was charismatic and likable. Everyone loved him. It was a feat Rosalie had never managed to master.

Rosalie was hated by most. No one understood her sarcastic, dry humor and outstanding beauty. The men only wanted to fuck her, and the women were afraid of her.

The one person who had ever accepted her was her best friend, Bella Swan. Without her, Rosalie didn't know how she could survive.

Bella was there to wipe away Rosalie's tears when her last boyfriend used her and dumped her. She had been there to comfort Rose when her parents divorced in the fifth grade.

Rosalie would do anything for Bella.

* * *

><p>Bella stood by her locker, absentmindedly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Jasper stood behind her, tapping his foot impatiently as Bella shoveled books into her locker.<p>

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion.

Bella turned her head and saw a gorgeous, tall, Greek god entering the school hallway. His shoulders were broad and his muscles rippled underneath the thin white T-shirt he was wearing. His hair was a remarkable shade of reddish brown and it was in perfect, casual disarray around his head. She could imagine running her fingers through that hot mess.

Their eyes met – emerald green on chocolate brown. Bella thought her heart was going to explode out of her chest, it was beating so fast.

They held each other's gaze for a long moment.

The sound of her locker closing with a sharp snap brought Bella's attention back to Jasper.

"Come on, baby, let's get to class," Jasper wrapped his arm tightly, almost roughly, around Bella's shoulders. He'd seen other guys ogle Bella before but never like this. He sent a warning glare in Edward's direction and steered Bella into their first period classroom.

Edward was still in a daze. It wasn't until Alice stomped on his foot that he snapped out of it.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You were standing still in the middle of the hallway. Your locker is over there."

Edward ambled over to his locker and opened it, his thoughts still on the brown haired beauty he had just seen.

"You were checking out that girl weren't you?"

Edward turned to see Alice staring at him with a knowing look in her eyes.

"What girl?"

"You know - the pretty one with the dark hair and brown eyes."

That was the greatest understatement Edward had ever heard in his entire life. That girl wasn't pretty. She was fucking beautiful. Edward closed his eyes, recalling the soft, creamy skin and big, doe eyes. Her mouth was so full and pouty. Edward longed to kiss it and suck softly on those pink lips. He moaned quietly.

Then he remembered the blond guy that she had been with, and he felt a rush of anger and a sense of possessiveness. The way that asshole had manhandled her…..Edward shook his head.

_I can't believe I'm getting messed up over a girl I don't know._

He looked at his sister and didn't say a word. He didn't need to. Alice knew him well. She could tell that he was already infatuated with this girl. A girl he had never even met.

* * *

><p>The first week of school passed by very quickly for Bella. She made fast friends with Alice, who now sat with Rosalie, Jasper, and Bella at lunch, but she hadn't spoken more than a few polite words to Edward. Every time they passed in the hallway, Bella blushed and ducked her head, and Edward never seemed to find the right words to say to her.<p>

Friday was the first time they had a real conversation.

The last bell had rung and the building was mostly empty. The students had left in a flood of tangled, pushing, shoving, hormonal bodies, excited for the weekend.

Bella was alone in one of the classrooms. She had told Jasper and Rose to leave without her. She had to finish an English essay. She wanted extra credit for turning it in early.

Edward had doubled back to school to pick up one of his schoolbooks that he'd accidentally left in his locker.

He was heading down a hallway when he caught sight of Bella sitting alone in an empty classroom. He admired her in the doorway for a few minutes.

She was so lovely to look at. Her eyebrows pulled together as she worked, causing a small crease to appear above her nose. As she moved to erase something, he could see the tip of her small, pink tongue peeking through her pillowy, soft lips. His pants suddenly felt tight around his groin area. He wondered what she'd do if he gave into his carnal urges and just went over to her, pinned her against the wall and kissed her.

"Like what you see?" Bella said without looking up.

Edward started. He chuckled to himself and sauntered into the room, stopping in front of Bella and leaning down to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

Bella felt a blush seeping up her neck. If her heart had been beating fast by just looking at Edward, it didn't hold a candle to how fast it beat with him just mere inches away from her face.

"What's not to like?" Edward whispered huskily.

He straightened up, grinning at Bella's reddened cheeks. "Do you stay after school every day to do extra work?"

"What's it to you?" Bella asked defensively.

"I didn't mean to offend," Edward raised his hands in front of his chest in mock surrender. "It's just a shame that such a beautiful girl would prefer to stay inside and work rather than go out on a Friday night."

Bella couldn't help but blush at the implication that he thought she was beautiful. Being around girls like Rosalie every day didn't help much with a girl's self esteem. "I can't help it. I have to keep a high grade point average."

"Why?" Edward asked curiously, sitting down in the desk next to her.

Bella explained her plan to him. How she had to get into UCLA. How she had to get out of this town.

Edward swallowed hard as she spoke to him. A girl with both beauty and brains was intimidating. He watched her as she spoke animatedly about leaving town and becoming a hotshot lawyer in California. She seemed too small for LA. She didn't know how fast-paced and lonely it could get over there. He just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and shield her from the big bad world. He was falling fast for this pretty, fragile girl and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it.

Bella stopped talking. Edward was looking at her so intensely; it was like he could see right through to her soul.

She looked down self-consciously and shoved her papers into her book bag. "So, um, well that's basically me in a nutshell."

"Nah, I'm sure there's more to you than that," Edward smiled down at her. "Um, do you need me to drive you home?"

"Thanks, but I've got my truck."

"That dusty, old thing is yours?" Edward teased, following closely behind her out of the classroom. He fought the urge to place his hands on the small of her back. Just to see if she felt as delicate as she looked.

"Hey, don't knock it 'till you've tried it," Bella shot back. "It's pretty steady for an old car."

They stood outside in the parking lot, staring awkwardly at each other for a few moments.

"Well, I'd better get home. See you Monday."

Edward waved, watching her get into her truck and head off. There was something special about that girl – something pure and innocent.

* * *

><p>Innocent was not a word one could ever use to describe Rosalie Hale, Bella thought to herself as she watched her best friend fix her hair and make-up in front of the mirror.<p>

"Should I wear my hair up or down?" Rosalie asked, looking at Bella's reflection in the mirror.

"Definitely down," Alice piped up from her seat next to Bella on Rosalie's bed.

"It's just a date with Emmett," Bella said. "He'll love you no matter how good or bad you look."

Alice gasped, "Don't say that! It's a girl's prerogative to dress up when she goes out."

"Whatever," Bella said exasperatedly.

Bella had only known Alice for only a week but she could already tell that this petite girl was a ball of energy. She was a lot of fun to hang out with, but at times her enthusiasm could get tiresome.

"Oh Bella," Alice shook her head. "I am totally going to dress you up one day and you are going to love it!"

Rosalie caught Bella's eye and burst out laughing. She knew Bella would never give in to something like that. She was too damn stubborn for her own good.

"So," Alice turned to Rosalie and said casually, "Have you and Emmett had sex yet?"

Bella looked up quickly, so startled that she choked on her own saliva.

"Of course," Rosalie said just as casually. "Bella's still a virgin though."

Bella gaped at the two of them. "That is personal information!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"So, you and Jasper really haven't done it yet?" Alice asked.

"Again – that's a little personal!"

"Sorry!" Alice said quickly. "Only, I've never had close girlfriends before." She sighed, "I just want to get to know you two, you know?"

Rosalie and Bella nodded sympathetically. They both knew how it felt to be shunned by other girls.

* * *

><p>That night as she lay in bed, Bella couldn't stop thinking about what Rosalie had said. It kept echoing in her head over and over.<p>

"_Bella's still a virgin."_

It wasn't that Jasper had never tried. He had tried numerous times, but she was never ready. It just never felt right.

She always pushed him away at the last second.

He took the rejection pretty easily, but Bella knew that Jasper couldn't wait forever.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: Hello readers. Well this is the third chapter of my story. Please please please leave me reviews. I've been really good to you all by posting these chapters as fast as I could, so please do me this one favor in return. This is my first story on fan fiction, and I'd really like to hear everyone's input. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I do own this story. Please review!**

Chapter 3

Jasper was lying on top of her in his bed, but she couldn't feel his kisses.

All she could think about was Edward. She'd been attracted to other guys before but never like this. All she could think about were those irresistible green eyes of him and that sexy, bronze hair. She found herself dreaming about him nearly every night. She even daydreamed about him. She turned red at the memory of what had happened in math class the other day.

She'd hardly gotten any sleep the night before which caused her to briefly slip into a quick doze in the middle of a lecture.

_She was gliding through a forest full of bright colors and sunshine. She stopped at a hidden meadow in the middle of the forest. She saw a body lying naked on the grass, and so she approached it and stared._

_It was Edward. He was absolutely stunning. His pect muscles were thick and strong looking. His arms were lean yet well-built. A faint splattering of hair trailed down his chest and abdomen, finally reaching his nether regions. Bella blushed and quickly looked away. It seemed wrong to look there while he was sleeping._

_Edward's head turned so fast that Bella jumped. His deep green eyes locked onto her brown ones. "Like what you see?" He mimicked her words from the day he walked in on her in that empty classroom. _

"_Um, I-I," Bella stuttered._

_It seemed in her dreams she was even more flustered than she appeared to be in real life. Edward groaned softly and slowly got to his feet, stretching his muscular arms over his head languidly. He then walked lazily over to where Bella was standing, backing her into a tree and pinning her arms above her head._

_Bella moaned almost imperceptibly._

_Edward's eyes widened. "You like this? You like it when I'm rough?"_

"_Yes." Bella sighed._

_Edward began to rub his body against Bella's. She could feel his hard length pressed against her._

_She moaned again._

_In the distance, she could hear something. It sounded like birds chirping. The noise kept growing louder and louder. It didn't fit in with the serene atmosphere of this peaceful meadow._

At that point she woke up. When she opened her eyes, the entire class was looking at her and laughing. Apparently, she had been moaning a little too loudly.

Thinking back on the dream, she felt guilty. It wasn't that she felt that she had cheated on Jasper per se, but wasn't dreaming about a different guy another form of cheating?

Jasper was starting to put a lot of pressure on Bella's lips. It was as though he could tell that her heart wasn't into it.

Bella pushed him off of her, pretending she had to catch her breath.

"What's wrong, babe?" Jasper asked, panting heavily. His breath smelled like cigarettes and strawberries.

"Nothing."

Jasper tried to kiss her, but Bella pushed him away again. She sat up and pushed hair out of her face, staring pensively at Jasper's basketball trophy on his dresser.

Jasper flopped backwards onto his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, what did I do this time?"

Bella turned to glare at him. "I told you, it's nothing. I'm just not in the mood."

"You're never in the mood!" Jasper snapped. "You've always got some stick up your ass. You don't want to have sex. You don't want to fool around." He shook his head. "I'm just so over this shit."

Bella gritted her teeth. "Are you kidding me? We always fool around. That's all you ever want to do anymore."

Jasper heaved a gigantic sigh. "Look, I don't want to fight with you. I just feel like you're mind is always somewhere else."

Bella bit her lip nervously. She knew she owed him some sort of an explanation.

"Are you cheating on me?" Jasper asked point-blank. "Are you seeing another guy?"

"No, of course not," Bella answered sharply. "I've just got some things on my mind."

* * *

><p>Things like a certain hottie by the name of Edward Cullen.<p>

_Yeah, I'll be there._

Edward grinned at the text message from Bella. They'd taken up a habit of texting each other almost every day.

Upstairs in his bedroom, he could hear the music from below as if the speakers were right next to his ears.

Alice was hosting a party for the juniors and seniors. It was one of those random house parties that she liked to have in order to get to know new people.

Edward turned at the sharp knock on his door.

"Come in."

Jasper entered the room.

Edward was a little surprised to see him. It wasn't like they didn't hang out at school, but they weren't exactly the best of friends. There was always this unspoken agreement between them. Jasper knew Edward liked Bella, and Edward knew that he knew. Their silent agreement was to never speak of it.

Jasper staggered forward and jabbed a finger into Edward's chest. There was an unmistakable scent of alcohol in his breath. "Are you fucking her?"

"What?"

"Are you fucking my girlfriend?" Jasper slurred his words as he got louder.

"Come on, man, you're drunk." Edward pushed Jasper gently into the hallway and shut his bedroom door behind them.

"Don't touch me!" Jasper's words ran together, garbled and indistinct. "Answer my question."

"No, I'm not sleeping with her." Edward said in a low voice.

"Stop fucking lying!" Jasper took a swing at Edward and missed, hitting the wall instead.

"Calm the fuck down," Edward hissed. He could see Alice and Rosalie coming up the staircase, a whole group of people following.

A crowd began to form around them. It wasn't every day that you could see the two hottest guys at school fighting.

By now, Jasper was taking continued swings at him, and Edward was doing all he could to hold him off, when all he really wanted to do was beat him to a pulp.

Alice pushed through the crowd with her elbows and pulled Jasper away, trying to calm him down. She turned to look fiercely at Edward. "What were you thinking, starting a fight?" She growled. Edward had never seen her look so mad and protective. "He's completely intoxicated and helpless!"

Edward gaped as she supported Jasper down the stairs. Since when had she and Jasper been so close?

He thought of Bella for a second. He couldn't fathom the idea of her and Jasper together, kissing and touching. Why the fuck did every beautiful girl date assholes?

Rosalie, meanwhile, rushed over to Edward. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Edward ignored her questions. "What's going on with those two?" He gestured towards the stairs where Alice and Jasper had just disappeared.

Rosalie shook her head impatiently. "Who knows?" She asked again, "So, what happened?"

Edward relayed the events to her, watching as her eyes grew wide.

"He thought Bella was cheating on him with you?"

Edward nodded wearily.

Rosalie clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. She never thought her brother would take his jealousy of Edward this far. Bella might be attracted to him, but so what? Every girl at school was infatuated with Edward. She searched through the horde with her eyes, looking for Bella.

"I think she might be downstairs," Edward followed Rosalie downstairs through the slowly dispersing crowd.

"Aw, no fight," Edward heard some guy on his right complaining, and glowered at him.

The guy, Edward thought his name was Mike, took one look at Edward's vicious expression, and fled.

Rosalie turned to the right while Edward took the left, searching for Bella.

He came across her several minutes later sitting with Alice at the dining room table.

She looked up as he walked in, not smiling.

She was so beautiful with her hair up in a chignon, soft tendrils escaping to frame her soft, pale face.

Edward sat down and massaged his temples. "Where's Jasper?"

"I sent him home in a cab," Alice said, getting up from the table. "I'm going to tell everyone to go home. The party's over."

Edward turned to Bella as Alice walked away.

"Did she tell you - ?"

"I'm so sorry about what happened." Bella interrupted in a rush. "Jasper…..he just gets really drunk sometimes…. "

Edward slapped the table so hard that Bella nearly fell out of her chair. "I am so fucking tired of everyone using that as an excuse!"

Edward got up from the table running a hand, hard, through his hair. He looked over at Bella, his fierce expression softening slightly at the look of shock in her eyes. "Being drunk is no excuse."

Bella bit her lip so hard that a pinprick of blood appeared. Edward had a vampiristic urge to lick it off. "I know Edward. You're right. I'm so sorry." She repeated.

"He was more angry at me than at you, anyway," Bella said, eyes wide.

"Why?" Edward sat back down across from her.

"It's just," Bella shook her head, "It's something really stupid. Just an argument we had."

"An argument about me?" Edward whispered. It was more of a statement than a question, really.

She didn't answer, but the look in her big doe eyes said it all.

* * *

><p>Bella was not having the best night. After apologizing to Edward for everything that had happened with Jasper, her truck decided to break down on her way home. The engine gave out with a soft <em>pfft<em>, leaving Bella stranded in the middle of the street.

Bella looked down at the wheel in her hands with despair. Then, an idea hit her. She picked up her cell phone and called Jacob. He was an old childhood friend of hers who lived in La Push. But most of all, he was the best mechanic she knew.

"Hello?" The familiar, deep voice soothed her somewhat.

"Hey, Jacob, it's Bella."

Jacob's voice instantly changed from tired to upbeat. "Hey Bells, what's up? Long time, no talk."

Bella laughed. "Look, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but my truck just broke down and I kind of need your help being that you are the best mechanic in town," She said to butter him up.

Not that she needed to. Jacob immediately agreed to come, sounding eager to see her again. They hadn't seen each other since Easter last year.

As she waited for him, her cell phone rang. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was on the Caller ID.

"Edward?"

"Bella," Edward said immediately. "I just wanted to make sure you got home okay."

Bella's heart melted. _How sweet of him. _"Actually my truck broke down, so I'm not home yet."

"Do you want me to come and help? I'm pretty good with cars."

Bella couldn't help but compare him to Jasper. Jasper would never get out of his bed this late just to help her with her car. _Edward cares about me_, Bella realized with a rush of affection.

"No, no," Bella said hastily. "I already called a mechanic. Besides, you're probably really tired anyway, after the night we've had."

"Bella," Edward said in a voice that caused Bella's stomach to flutter and her heart to thump faster. "I'm coming over, and I'm driving you home. Besides, that old truck is probably beyond repair at this point."

Edward hung up before Bella could argue.

Right then, Jacob pulled up next to Bella's car on a motorcycle and tapped on her window.

Bella got out of her car and stared. "You drive a motorcycle?"

Jacob climbed off the bike and pulled off his helmet, grinning. Bella couldn't help but notice how much he had grown since the last time she'd seen him. He was at least 6'4 now and his muscles weren't as wiry as they used to be. His skin was russet-colored and smooth, and his jet-black hair was cropped short.

"Don't tell me you joined a motorcycle gang," Bella warned.

Jacob shook his head, chuckling. "Nah, I found this used bike a few months ago and fixed it up. I liked it so much; I've been driving it around ever since." He reached around him and pulled out a red toolbox.

Bella watched him as lifted the hood of her truck and began to tinker around in there. "You've grown a hell of a lot," She commented.

He turned to look at her, raising a brow, "So have you." His eyes traveled down the length of her body.

Bella crossed her arms, uncomfortable with his gaze on her. He was still a kid – he was fifteen for fuck's sake. She was dressed in her party clothes, a short, purple cocktail dress with sequins and simple, black heels.

"So, when are we going to hang out?" Jacob turned back to the truck.

"You mean when you're not fixing my car?" Bella teased. She turned serious, "It's been a while, hasn't it. I'll come over to your place sometime with Charlie and we'll have a barbecue. I'll be like old times – you and me and both our fathers."

Jacob and Bella turned as the sound of an engine filled the air. It was Edward in his silver Volvo.

Bella watched, heart swelling, as Edward strolled over to her, hands in his pockets.

"Edward, this is Jacob, an old friend of mine."

Jacob got up quickly and dusted his hands on his pants before reaching out to shake Edward's hands. There was a couple seconds as both boys seized the other up.

Bella watched as the two guys began talking. Soon, they were both working together on Bella's truck.

Eventually, Bella cleared her throat.

"Oh, sorry Bella. I lost track of time," Edward stood up and clapped Jacob on the back as if they'd known each other for years. "I'd better get Bella home."

"Just drop the car off at my house when you're done, Jake." Bella gave him a hug.

"We should hang out, dude," Jacob said to Edward as he reciprocated her hug. "You should come over and help me in my garage. I have tons of old cars and shit that I'm working on."

Edward grinned, nodding in agreement and turned, opening the passenger door for Bella.

Once they were both situated in the car and driving, Bella turned to Edward.

"You guys were practically old pals back there," Bella said in an almost accusatory way. "I didn't know you made friends that fast."

"Yeah, I know. It was weird. We just hit it off, I guess."

"Well I'm glad for you," Bella said earnestly. "I know you haven't made many friends since you moved here."

"Thanks Bella." Edward pulled in front of Bella's house and turned to look deeply in Bella's eyes. "Look, I just want you to know that I'm always here for you." He was getting closer to her. So close she could barely breathe. "You can talk to me about anything." His face was inches away from hers. He could count every light freckle on her nose.

Just before their lips touched, Bella turned her head away.

Edward swallowed and shifted back.

"I'd better get inside," Bella motioned towards her house, but didn't move. She couldn't.

Later that night, Bella lay in bed, filled with regret. She carried that vivid image of Edward leaning towards her, eyes bright with emotion, in her head and wished that she'd let him do it. She wished that she had let him kiss her.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: Hey guys! Sorry I've taken a while to upload another chapter to this story. I've been really busy with finals. Anyway, let me know what you think about the story. If I don't get reviews, it leaves me to believe that no one is interested in it, and I may pull the story from fanfiction. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. :)**

Chapter 4

That Monday at school, Bella spent most of the day evading Jasper. When she saw him rounding a corner, she went in the opposite direction. When he entered a classroom, she made it a point to pass by that classroom. At lunch, when she saw him sitting at their regular lunch table with their regular crowd, she turned on her heel and went outside.

It was a lovely day outside so why not, Bella reasoned. She took a seat on the grass near the bleachers and opened her lunch bag. She had packed cold lasagna, left over from last night, and a red apple.

She was taking the apple out of her bag when a long shadow loomed over her.

"Why are you outside?" Edward raised his eyebrows at her in a questioning sort of way.

Bella could scarcely keep herself from gasping at his dazzling silhouette. Edward looked amazing in the sunlight. The sun brought out faint copper highlights that Bella had never even noticed before. It also brought out a mixture of yellow and green in his eyes – eyes so bright that they were blinding.

Bella shaded her face with her left hand and peered up at him, shrugging in answer to his question. "It's a nice day, so I thought I'd eat out here."

Edward sat down across from her, a faint smirk appearing on his perfectly sculpted face. "I suppose this has something to do with a certain boyfriend of yours who's sitting inside gazing longingly out the window at you."

Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. "I just don't know if I can forgive him," she looked down at her hands. "He acted really awful towards you at that party on Friday night. He's not the guy I thought I knew, you know?"

Edward lips tightened. "Come on Bella. Don't tell me you didn't know he was an asshole when you first started dating him. It's not like he's tried so hard to hide that fact."

"He's Rosalie's brother," Bella said desperately. "And I'm the only girl that Rosalie thinks is good enough to date him. If I break up with Jasper," she took a deep breath, "she'd never forgive me."

"If your friendship is contingent on whether or not you and Jasper stay a couple, then it must not be that great of a friendship in the first place." Edward pointed out.

Bella looked up furiously. "Rosalie and I have a great friendship," she snarled at him.

"If that's the case, then I'm sure she won't mind if you break up with him."

A crimson glow was appearing on Bella's face, and it was beautiful, but it wasn't appearing out of embarrassment. It was appearing out of anger. Her temper was one of the things Edward like most about Bella. Most of the time it just appeared in flashes here and there, but this time it was blatantly apparent.

"Why do you want me to break up with him, anyway?" Bella spat through clenched teeth. "What's in it for you?"

"Who said anything was in it for me?" Edward's eyes searched her face for a moment. "I'm just trying to help you decide what's right for you," he said calmly – so calmly that Bella wanted to slap him, just to get a rise out of him. Or better yet, kiss him. "I care about you."

"Yeah, I know," Bella sighed, feeling the anger drain out of her as quickly as it had come. "You said that the night of the party."

"Well, it's true," Edward leaned forward and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. "To be honest, I haven't told anyone that in a long time. I don't want you to think that it's something I throw around all the time. When I say things, I usually mean them."

Bella couldn't resist teasing him, "So, I must be pretty special then, huh?"

Edward gave her a half grin, "More than you know," he murmured in such a low voice that Bella almost thought she had dreamed those words.

She cleared her throat and looked away, feeling slightly uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Why did _you_ come over here?"

"What, you think I'd rather be in there, next to Jasper?" Edward said his name with obvious distaste.

"Jasper is not that bad," Bella said. "You just haven't seen the good side of him yet."

"And I doubt I ever will," Edward shook his head before changing the subject. "Listen, I want to thank you for making Alice feel welcome here. She speaks pretty highly of you and Rosalie."

Bella grinned. "Thanks for telling me. She's really sweet."

"She may seem sweet to you, but she's a bit of a pest to me."

"I can believe that," Bella laughed. "She gets a little hyper sometimes. She's decided that she wants to do a make-over on me."

"She's too pushy. You definitely don't need one," Edward said earnestly.

Bella blushed and tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind her ear.

"And look at that," Edward chuckle softly, "You've even got your own natural blush. You obviously don't need make-up."

"You don't have to lie to me," Bella crossed her arms over her chest in a protective move.

"Bella," Edward reached over with his fore-finger and tilted her chin up in order to look her in the eye, "In all the time that I've known you –"

"Which hasn't been very long," Bella interjected.

"– I haven't lied to you even once," he finished. "I think you're beautiful. I don't want to sound corny or anything, but the first time I saw you, you literally took my breath away."

She looked up at him then, and Edward's heart stopped. He'd never seen her look more beautiful or more vulnerable than she did at that moment.

He took his hand gently away from her chin. "I'm sorry; I know I've probably gone over the line here –"

"No it's fine," Bella reached over to him, but then thought better of it and retreated, looking down shyly. "What you just said to me – no one's ever told me that before."

Edward looked over at her in surprise. "Well, then I'm glad to be the first."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, sneaking glances at one another until Edward said, "Look, I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything, but would you like to sit with me again tomorrow for lunch? I enjoy talking to you." He gave an embarrassed shrug. "I'm sure you've noticed that, other than you, I haven't really made friends here."

"Of course I'll sit with you," Bella said immediately. "It's just…..Jasper –"

Edward sighed internally._ I can't believe she gives a damn about him after everything that he did. _

"Are you serious about him?"

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, confused.

"Like, do you plan on getting married to him?" Edward grew angry as he saw how long it took her to finally shake her head no. He couldn't believe she could even think about saying yes. Not after what Jasper did at the party or even considering the growing connection between her and Edward.

"Even so, it's just not a great idea for me to sit with you alone –"

"No, I know," Edward interrupted her, saying snidely, "We don't want poor Jasper to feel hurt that his girlfriend doesn't want to be around him every freaking second. He's probably sobbing right now over that fact that I'm sitting out here with you."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Come on Edward. Be a little more mature about it," She grabbed his arm as he got up to leave, pulling him back down. "No wait, I didn't mean it like that. I do want to sit with you. It just can't be only the two of us. Why don't we sit with Jasper and all my friends tomorrow? Once, he gets to know you, he'll realize that you're a great guy and he'll stop being stupid."

Edward rubbed his lips, thinking. The look that she was giving him now…it was hard to say no to that face. "I'll do it, but I can guarantee you that nothing I can say or do will make him not hate me," he warned her.

Bella brushed this comment off and beamed, relieved at his agreement. More than anything, she realized, she wanted things to be okay between Edward and Jasper. Jasper had been her friend forever and, although he didn't show it much anymore, she knew he genuinely cared about her.

"Tell me about your family," Edward said suddenly.

_Well, that came out of the blue._

Bella looked up. "Why are you so interested in my family?"

"I'm not necessarily interested in your family," Edward said slowly, "I'm more interested in you, the things that make you Bella Swan. So, I thought I'd start with your family."

She held his gaze for a moment before speaking in a monotonous voice; as if she'd recanted the story so many times she'd memorized it. "My mother left my father when I was three. She lives in Arizona with her new husband and visits sometimes. I live with my dad, his name's Charlie, and he's the Chief of Police."

She had been examining her hands as she spoke, but now she looked up, searching for any sort of change in his expression. When she saw none, she continued. "I used to live with my mom, but I missed my dad too much, so when I started high school, I decided to move here. Plus, it was more convenient for Renee – that's my mother's name – since she had just gotten married to Phil and he moves around a lot because he's a major league baseball player. Anyway," she gave Edward a self-conscious smile, "It's not a very interesting story. Pretty typical, actually –"

"I think it's fascinating," Edward said, leaning closer to her, green eyes intense and fixated on her. "You're so selfless, to live with you father and allow your mother to move around with her husband. You must miss her."

"I do," Bella exhaled, unaware until then that she had even been holding her breath. "I'm not selfless though," she said in a low voice, "living with my father benefits me just as much as it does her." She sighed, and to take the attention off of herself, said, "Tell me about you now."

"Hey, hey," Edward looked at her sternly, "I'm not done with you yet."

"No fair!" Bella complained. "I have a million questions for you, and you haven't even let me start."

They stared each other down for a couple of seconds, neither one backing down.

Edward was about to give in (who could resist that gorgeous, stubborn face?), when the bell rang.

"I guess we'll have to discuss this later," Edward said with a wide grin.

"Fine," Bella grumbled reluctantly.

She leaned in to give Edward a goodbye hug before heading to class, but he stopped her halfway.

"What about Jasper? He's probably still watching us from inside."

Bella waved the concern aside. "Jasper's not some creepy stalker. I doubt he can even see us. Besides, it's just a friendly hug."

Still, she didn't lean in again, and as they walked back through the school's main doors, she cast a worried look towards the windows in the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>It was proving to be more difficult to avoid Jasper as the day went on, so Bella counted herself lucky when she managed to go through all her classes without exchanging words with him. She knew she was going to have to face him at some point. She just didn't know what she would say to him when she did. Probably, she'd have to break up with him. She thought of Edward and felt heat creeping up her face as she remembered the intense expression on his face that day at lunch – he always looked at her as though she was the only girl in the world, let alone in the room. Of course she would break up with Jasper, she decided. <em>I can't have a boyfriend and have feelings for someone else at the same time. <em>The hardest part would be explaining to Jasper the reason for the break-up. She wasn't even close to prepared for that part yet.

At the last bell of the day, she left the building in a hurry, casting worried looks over her shoulder as she made her way to the parking lot.

She sighed, laughing to herself in relief, when she reached her truck without anyone stopping her. _It's silly for me to be so worried about Jasper. He couldn't do anything worse than he's already done_, she told herself.

When she reached her house, she saw her dad's car already parked in the driveway. Bella frowned as she fit her key into the lock on the front door. It looked like he had come home earlier than usual. _Great, he's probably going to want an early dinner_.

When she opened the door though, it wasn't Charlie Swan that she saw. It was Jasper.

Immediately when he saw her, he came over, closing the door behind her and taking a hold of her upper arms. "I know you've been avoiding me."

"Where's my dad?" She tried to release herself from his grasp on her shoulders to no avail.

"Bella, look at me." When she looked into his eyes, all she saw was anguish. It was hard not to feel sorry for him. _Do I really have to go through with this? _"I am so sorry for what happened at the party. I was a complete asshole, and I know that. Just, please don't look at me like that."

Bella swallowed hard and forced herself to look up into his eyes again. "Like what?"

"Like you hate me."

"I don't hate you Jasper," Bella said smoothly, trying not to let any emotion seep through. "I just, I-I think we should break up." Jasper's hands tightened around hers and he pulled her close. "Don't say that Bella. Tell me what I need to do to make this right, but please don't say that."

Bella jutted her chin out firmly and said it again, "We need to break up. Listen, we're better off as friends. I know you know that. Our whole relationship has been based on how we think a relationship should be. It's never felt real to me, and I know it hasn't for you either."

"Don't try to tell me what I feel!" Jasper objected, unable to hide the tears in his voice. "I love you!"

_I'm not prepared for this! _Bella closed her eyes tightly before opening them again. "I love you too, Jasper. But I'm not in love with you. I love you like a friend."

"Shut up!" Jasper lashed out at her. "Just shut up! I can't hear this anymore. I have to go."

Bella watched him as he hastily tore out of the house, and it was only until she couldn't see him anymore that she allowed herself to cry. The tears were more for Jasper than for herself. She had always known that this was something she had to do. She had never loved him in that way. Edward had just been the one to bring this clarity to her.


End file.
